The Pixies Comeback Everyone Forgot

With the recent release of their EP-1 and the single "Bagboy," the Pixies are getting some heat for delivering some not-so-hot material, yet why are people forgetting their actual comeback tune, the 2004 upbeat jammer "Bam Thwok"? Created for the Shrek 2 soundtrack (!), the iTunes-only release accompanied their celebrated reunion and features Kim Deal singing a happy song about spreading "50,000 watts of goodwill." It went to the top of the download charts in the UK, and is rarely mentioned anywhere these days — not in Pitchfork's already-infamous 1-star EP-1 review, nor in the Wall Street Journal's new video on the group published this week.

This isn't really anything new though. The 2006 documentary on the band's reunion, loudQUIETloud, says nothing about the tune, instead mentioning in the end that they haven't talked about making another album. Then again, this is the same doc that cut much of the tour-bus levity (as seen in the DVD's deleted scenes) in order to present a more morose version of a band that was still at odds (they ended up touring together for another five years).

The lack of talk about "Bam Thwok" couldn't possibly be because the song was actually a happy tune, could it? Naw, that's crazy talk.

Yet why the snubs? There are plenty of articles that do mention the track — and lord knows there was a whole mess of pieces written about the song when it was released. Not only was "Bam Thwok" a surprise, it featured a weird 15-second breakdown of wild organ music taken from an old recording of Joey Santiago's father-in-law. Some may say it was put in to keep their cred, yet in hindsight, it's fitting that a band known for eschewing conventions would hijack what's essentially a pop track made for children.

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In an alternate dimension, one could see the four-piece playing the song in front of a green screen surrounded by dancing kids and smiling monsters on Yo Gabba Gabba! (a show that tried its hardest to book the Pixies, but scheduling always got in the way). Yet you have to wonder how many fans of the band might not dig that kind of saccharine sweet ball of life-affirming joy? There are certainly plenty of ardent fans who could care less about the tune — often joking that there's a reason the track has been dismissed.

Yet this is history. This is musical history. And as it turns out, the Pixies re-entered this world with an upbeat song — sung by Kim Deal, no less! Compare this to "Bagboy," the band's near-obnoxious first track released right after Kim's exit. Compare it to EP-1, which sounds more like Frank Black solo B-sides — not from the fantastic Catholics era, but more like some of the iffy tracks off of 2010's NonStopErotik. (Speaking of Frank, have you listened to his BBC session with Teenage Fanclub lately? You really should, below.)

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But I digress. Where was I? What was I getting at? Ahh, history.

Yes, it's about history — and saying that the band's 2013 releases are its first since Trompe le Monde is just wrong. Hell, not only are people forgetting about "Bam Thwok," but also another track, "Ain't That Pretty at All," which the band recorded around the same time for a Warren Zevon tribute album. In hindsight, "Ain't" has many of the trappings of classic Pixies. Dual vocals, howling guitars, throbbing bass line — and funny enough, it features some laughs on the vocal tracks.

While it could very well be that it's just a slip of the mind to not mention these tracks, I do have to wonder if some people just don't like the band when they're happy. Yes, slicing eyeballs is great. Incestuous unions? Yeah, go there. Yet for me, the Pixies' darkness was always balanced out by Kim's gorgeous grin and David Lovering's "shake your butt" drum beats. And when they reappeared on the scene seemingly happy to record again, it seemed like life can reboot without the hangover. It's clear on the uneasy new tracks that a very different band is at play. But then again, they didn't have Kim in the studio. I might not do my best if I didn't have that ray of crass nicotine sunshine in the room either.

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